This invention relates to a bipolar electrosurgical instrument such as a scalpel blade. Such instruments are commonly used for the coagulation and/or cutting of tissue in surgical intervention, most commonly in “keyhole” or minimally-invasive surgery, but also in “open” surgery.
Electrosurgical devices generally fall into two categories, monopolar and bipolar. In a monopolar device, a radio frequency signal is supplied to an active electrode which is used to treat tissue at a target site, an electrical circuit being completed by a grounding pad which is generally a large area pad attached to the patient at a location remote from the target site. In contrast, in a bipolar arrangement, both an active and a return electrode are present on the instrument, and the current flows from the active electrode to the return electrode. The present invention relates to a bipolar device.
In minimally-invasive surgery, it is essential to be able to coagulate tissue in order to stem or prevent bleeding. By definition, the procedure is taking place in a confined space, and it is often difficult or inconvenient to have to re-orient the surgical instrument repeatedly in order to achieve such coagulation. The present invention provides a surgical instrument capable of the coagulation of tissue, the instrument providing a plurality of regions in which coagulation can be performed.